Two psychologists believe the man who allegedly killed three people and injured nine others last fall outside a Colorado abortion facility is mentally incompetent to stand trial, according to new testimony in the case.
The accused Robert Lewis Dear told authorities that the FBI cut holes in his clothing, dropped feathers inside his home, and convinced his girlfriend to spy on him, according to new testimony during a competency hearing Thursday, as reported in The Gazette. He also told police that President Barack Obama is the antichrist, and government agents planted fake information in radio broadcasts.
Two state psychologists who evaluated Dear said he is suffering from a delusional disorder and recommended that Judge Gilbert Martinez rule Dear mentally incompetent to stand trial and order medical treatment at a psychiatric hospital, the report states. Gilbert did not rule on the matter Thursday.
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Psychologists Jackie Grimmett testified that “not only did [Dear] have a mental illness, but his mental illness is affecting his functional abilities.” Thomas Gray, the other psychologist, added that Dear is suspicious of everyone and wants to dismiss his attorneys and represent himself, NBC News reported.
Dear allegedly killed three people and injured nine others in the shooting on Nov. 27 outside the Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood. Leaders from the abortion group confirmed none of the people killed or injured were Planned Parenthood abortion clinic staff or patients. And, according to the Associated Press, the shooting took place outside of the Planned Parenthood abortion clinic, not in it.
Dear has been charged with first-degree murder and more than 170 other counts, according to the report. During a court outburst in December, Dear said he was guilty.
Abortion activists have tried to blame pro-lifers for inciting Dear to violence, but the evidence indicates otherwise. Dear reportedly mentioned “baby body parts” when arrested at the scene of the crime, but he has no connections with the pro-life movement and has a long criminal record. He was described by those who know him best as someone with clear mental health issues.
Dear’s statements and actions since his arrest also point to mental illness. In December, Dear made outbursts in court that he wants to fire his public defender and represent himself. Then in January, Dear told authorities that his target in the shooting was the FBI and the federal government, who he believed were targeting him. After the December outburst, a judge ordered a mental evaluation.
The Gazette reports more about the evidence presented Thursday:
During those interviews, Dear unspooled an elaborate explanation for the attack, claiming the FBI has been tailing him for more than 20 years – ever since Dear telephoned a radio program after a deadly 1993 standoff in Waco, Texas, and referred to the agency as the “Federal Bureau of Incineration.”
He said the FBI surveillance was stepped up in 2014, after the defendant began spreading the word about a YouTube video that identifies President Barack Obama as a satanic figure, citing the Bible verse Luke 10:18 as support for the claim.
FBI surveillance included using his radios to spy on him and planting information in fake radio broadcasts, [Colorado Springs police detective Jerry] Schiffelbein said he was told. Dear said agents sneaked into his home in Hartsel and cut holes in his clothing, leaving behind feathers as a cryptic calling card.
On Nov. 27, Dear was at a hospital in Woodland Park with his girlfriend, Stephanie Bragg, when he reached the conclusion that the federal agency was preparing a direct confrontation.
Dear said he decided to make his stand against the FBI at Planned Parenthood, which he described as the “most evil” place on earth, Schiffelbein said.
Dear reportedly interrupted the Thursday hearing more than a dozen times, protesting that he was not a “nut case.” Believing the FBI was persecuting him, Dear also said agents followed him to the abortion clinic on the day of the shooting but disappeared before the attack, according to the Associated Press.
If the judge rules Dear incompetent, the trial would be suspended while he receives treatment.
Pro-life groups quickly condemned the shooting after it occurred in November, while pro-abortion presidential candidate Hillary Clinton sent a tweet exploiting the active shooting before the shooter was apprehended or a motive known to push for support for the abortion business and then went on to say pro-life people should “defend Planned Parenthood, not attack it.”
As LifeNews reported, the police officer killed during the shooting is pro-life and a co-pastor at his local church. Garrett Swasey, 44, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs police officer who was killed while responding to the shooting, was described by his fellow church members and friends as a courageous man and loving father who drew strength and inspiration from his Christian faith.
Family members and friends identified the other two victims as 29-year-old Ke’Arre Stewart and Jennifer Markovsky, 35, who were accompanying friends to the Planned Parenthood.
